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Does Stretching Prevent Injury in Exercise?

It Increases Flexibility and Improves Reaction; Stretch Until It Almost Hurts

How much does a good stretch go towards keeping injury away? WSJ's Heidi Mitchell and University of Virginia's Dr. Jay Hertel discuss with Tanya Rivero. Photo: iStockphoto/Getty

By

Heidi Mitchell

Updated Dec. 2, 2014 4:05 p.m. ET

Touching one’s toes or moving the head in a circle feels positively blissful to most healthy adults. But the benefits of stretching are much argued in the halls of kinesiology departments and fitness centers across the country. One professor of sports medicine at the University of Virginia, Jay Hertel, explains the upside of a full range of motion and why sometimes feeling good is enough reason to get those shoulders rolling.

The Science of Stretching

“Stretching is really moving the joint in an effort to lengthen the muscle,”...